Suggestions for removing supports without destroying the model

If you are looking to improve the “removability” of support structures I would suggest you use a more powerful slicer such as Cura or Slic3r.

In Cura you can change the vertical distance between the support material and the model, this is a fine balance between giving adequate support and being stuck together loosely enough that you can pull the support free without leaving any marks or damage to the print.

An alternative would be to try Cura’s tree support feature which, instead of generating a large block of support material that contacts the entire surface of the piece within a certain area, instead creates branches of support that contact the model in smaller but deliberately placed locations.

As an example, here is an image of a piece I printed using tree supports before and after I removed the support material. The entire support structure was removed as a single piece and snapped off easily leaving little to no marking on the part.


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